The Hindu Business Line : KMML calls for EoI to set up titanium sponge project

THE State-owned Kerala Minerals and Metals Ltd (KMML) at Chavara in Kollam district has called for Expression of Interest from global technology providers for setting up and commissioning of its proposed 10,000 tonne per annum titanium sponge manufacturing unit.

Speaking to Business Line on Wednesday, Mr K.P. Rajendran, Managing Director, KMML, said that already companies in Russia, Ukraine, China and the US have responded. But technology-wise Russia and Ukraine are acceptable. However, the selection would depend on other conditions also, he said.

Russian experts visited the KMML some time back and held technical discussions with the company's officials. In fact, they had recently expressed their willingness to provide the technology for the project, Mr Rajendran said. However, "we are looking at other offers also," he said. The advanced technology is available with only five countries viz., Russia, the US, Japan, China and Ukraine.

During the visit to the State recently, the President, Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, had pointed out that titanium was the metal of the 21st century as steel was in the earlier centuries. He emphasised that titanium alloy was one of the preferred materials in the space and aircraft industry and Kerala had large deposits of titanium oxide.

It is used in aerospace and military applications and its production here would take the country into the group of a few countries manufacturing this product. Thus, KMML would become the first unit in the country to manufacture titanium sponge, Mr Rajendran said. The strength of KMML is the availability of infrastructure and highest titanium bearing ore in its premises, he said.

Meanwhile, KMML and the ISRO had signed a MoU last month for setting up a 500-tonne per annum capacity titanium sponge manufacturing unit at Chavara at a total cost of Rs100 crore. ISRO would finance the project as the unit is being set up exclusively for the Space Research Organisation. It would be completed in 24 months. For this unit, Defence Metallurgical Research Laboratory (DMRL), Hyderabad, would provide the technology developed indigenously by it.

The Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, is likely to lay the foundation stone for this plant during his visit to the State on Feb 7-8, he added.